The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1887-04-23

FOREIGN NEWS.

The advices by the last steamer were
not as belligerent as the news received
bv several previous mails. 1t seemed
as if the birthday anniversary OF the
Emperor of Germany had diverted
mems minds from the more serious
phase of European politics. AT all
events it gave a respite, afording
breathing space during which it might
be possible to avert war by common
understanding. This result does not APP
pear to have been accomplished. The
Great Powers are going on with their
ornaments without cessation, and the
secondary powers are straining every
nerve to put themselves in a position to
claim their independence after the war.
There is no Power in Europe which
believes for an instant that peace will
be preserved during the summer, and 1t
will be fortunate if hostilities are de-
layed until the season is sufficiently al
vanced for the movement OF troops.
There is only one measure which can
assure psace, and that is general dis
arming. But what Power is to begin?
Which Government is willing to admit
that it has been taxing the people, Grip
pling their industries, and engaging in
wasteful expenditure, without sufficient
cause? Much less could we expect all
the great military Powers to do so.
They cannot change their base and
adopt pacific policy without contention
of arms, because they would thereby
admit that they had been wrong alto
gether, and that government by
bayonet was unnecessary. No mat
ter what the national waste and
suffering may be, no matter how
much misery may be heaped upon the
heads of the unhappy people, the Gov
eminent caste must preserve its con-
sistency, and the nations will therefore
engage in a great war rather than ad
NIT. in the face of the world, that the
effusion of blood was unnecessary.
We consider a general war inevitable;
at the same time we think it will be the
death-blow of the prevailing type of
European government. The spread of
a5l.lti !, the general recognition of
persona rights, the weakening of class
privileg ), and the development of COM
meICia Enterprise are fast undermining |
.aa feo / system. This once over
tsewa lere is no foundation left for a /
supars ture of personal and hered- |
itary government. 1t is therefore proba- /
BILE that the coming war, should it be-
come general, will result in the emanci-
patton OF the nations, and simultaneous
of the great historic gov
erning families.
This result would change the whole
current Of ~ternational life, and above
all would lad to a reconstruction of
tariffs. AZ ne world is now governed,
anything Ike international free trade is
impossible Were the incentive to war
b. the destruction of dynas-
ticism, there would be no necessity for
the maintenance of standing armies,
and navies would only be needed to keen
the police of the high seas The nations
would elevate themselves to the art of
peace, and industrial competition would !
take the place of the devastations of war.
AS has been already said, this result is
not possible of accomplishment without
an exhausting war. That this is an |
svent in the near future is as certain as |
IAN be predicated of any future occur
renee The only compensation that can
be drawn from such an event is that it |
will tend to increase the authority of the |
people who alone are sufferers from war